Croatia can expect excellent tourist results from the Czech market this year, even better than in 2019. This is the conclusion of ‘Croatian Day’ in Prague, a two-day event organized by the Croatian Tourist Board office in the Czech Republic, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac met with Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Ivan Bartoš and Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports Petar Gazdik, reports Novi List.
The central part of the event was held in the late Renaissance palace Martinický palác with a gala dinner which, along with the Croatian delegation and representatives of the Croatian Embassy led by Ambassador Ljiljana Pancirov, was attended by numerous owners, directors, and representatives of Czech tour operators, agencies and tourism associations. In addition, a press conference was held yesterday, as well as a meeting with tour operators. Minister Brnjac, Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Tomislav Fain, president of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), and Nenad Nizić, president of the Group of Unique Luxury Hotels Stories at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce spoke at the press conference. The press conference was attended by more than 40 Czech journalists and representatives of the most popular media. The business and working part of the program attracted about 50 entities and partners from the Czech tourism sector, including tour operators Fischer and České kormidlo, Czech carrier RegioJet, and many others.
“Croatia has traditionally been one of the favorite tourist destinations for Czech tourists. We are especially pleased that the Czech market is increasingly recognizing Croatia as a holiday destination outside the summer months, as evidenced by the fact that since the beginning of this year, we hit 98 percent of arrivals and 25 percent more overnight stays compared to the same period in 2019. Apart from the sea and beautiful nature, Croatia is becoming a destination of added value because it offers tourists a higher level of experience, which modern Czech tourists are increasingly looking for. In addition to the offer that is already well known to them, we are continuously developing the segment of luxury tourism. Given the growing demand in this segment of tourism in the Czech market in the coming period, we want to brand Croatia, among other things, as a tourist destination of modern luxury, which in the usual forms offers personalization of arrangements, evaluation of experiences and emotions and personal development through communication with local culture and community,” said Minister Brnjac.
Czech journalists were interested in the epidemiological rules in Croatia and whether information on applications would be known in time, but also the date of the Peljesac Bridge opening. By the way, Czech tourists need to have a COVID certificate this year to enter and move around Croatia, i.e., proof that they have been vaccinated or overcame COVID-19, it was explained.
CNTB Director Staničić said that 60 percent of Czech tourists traveling to Croatia for summer vacations come with their families. At the same time, in the future, Croatia wants to be a year-round destination with a rich and diverse offer, both on the coast and the continent, and a goal that attracts tourists of different age groups, especially young people.
A working part of the program was held with the participation of representatives of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), Stories Group, and Croatia Airlines. They also presented the new line introduced this year on the Prague-Split route, operating every Saturday from early June to the end of September.
After the meetings, Tomislav Fain said that it was time for Croatia to present itself in the Czech market in this way, given that it is one of the top five most critical emitting markets.
“In this way, we have shown respect for the Czech Republic and the guests who come to us from this country. Even though the sun and the sea are still the main reason for the arrival of Czech tourists in Croatia, we as UHPA wanted to emphasize other products and offers,” said Fain and added that the partners in the Czech Republic were very interested in the outdoor offer – even an offer of pilgrimage tourism. However, colleagues in the Czech Republic already know Croatia exceptionally well as a destination.
“They know Croatia better than we do. Most of the colleagues at the meeting speak Croatian, which shows how much they respect and value us and how important we are to them. They had excellent bookings until the beginning of the war in Ukraine. After that, they say better than ever. It has slowed down a bit, but they are still very, very satisfied, especially those who specialize only in Croatia. We hope this visit will bring additional positive PR and arouse even more interest in coming to our country,” concluded Fain.
Dubravko Miholić, director of the CNTB Representation in the Czech Republic, said that Croatia was one of the Czech’s favorite foreign destinations, shown by the tourist traffic achieved in recent years, and their loyalty was especially pronounced during the last two pandemic years. The Czechs are increasingly looking for higher category accommodation facilities in hotels and camps, and Croatian continental destinations also record an increase in interest. And most Czechs still come to Croatia by car.
“Last year, the Czechs achieved more than five million overnight stays, which represents an excellent 97 percent of the results from the record 2019. This confirms that we recovered very quickly in this market. At the same time, this year, given the excellent announcements, we expect even better results, including growth in tourist traffic, i.e., a full recovery and return to pre-pandemic trends,” concluded Miholić.
The CNTB’s representative office director in Prague said that many Czech guests should not be expected for the upcoming Easter and that the most significant arrivals are expected in July and August. He also pointed out that Croatia’s biggest competitors are Greece, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany, where the Czechs could go on holiday this year. Miholić said that both Turkey and Hungary are conducting solid campaigns on the Czech market. According to information from Croatian Day in Prague, this year, we should expect excellent occupancy on RegioJet trains, which will again have railway lines to Rijeka and Split.
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